The Meaning of Jihad

Jihād in its meaning is ‘to struggle’ as a general description. Jihād derives from the word juhd, which means at-ta'b, fatigue. The meaning of Jihād fī sabīlillāh, struggle in the Way of Allah, is striving to excess in fatiguing the self, to exhaust the self in seeking the Divine Presence and in bringing up Allah’s Word, all of which He made the Way to Paradise. For that reason Allah said:

َجَاهِدُوا فِي اللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِ

And strive hard (jāhidū) in (the way of) Allah, (such) a striving a is due to Him;

It is essential to understand that under the term jāhidū come many different categories of Jihād, each with its specific context. The common understanding of Jihād to mean only war is refuted by this tradition of the Prophet’s: